Solid Phase Extraction for Steroid Hormone Analysis

Steroid hormones such as estrogen are known to have profound effects on our short-term and long-term physiology, but difficulty separating them from brain tissue has long been a hindrance to further analysis. Thankfully, a new study shows scientists from the University of Massachusetts and UCLA have found success in this area by incorporating Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) into their testing protocol. Traditional methods of isolating steroid hormones (or “neurosteroids”) by liquid extraction are problematic because these compounds are lipid soluble and brain tissue is very rich in lipids, which turns sample preparation into a sort of scavenger hunt and can lead to inaccurate measurements. In order to solve this problem, the authors designed a two-stage protocol of liquid and solid-phase extraction, in this case using a vacuum manifold endcapped with Empore C18-SD cartridges on brain tissue samples taken from songbirds. The authors of the paper note that since its introduction SPE has been hailed as a low-cost and safe solution to purify samples prior to immunoassay. The results of this experiment further support this claim as the researchers found the liquid/solid-phase extraction combination increased reliability and quantification of the sample measurements. They cite that the likely reason for the improvement is that SPE eliminates substances that interfere with the immunoassay’s enzyme reactions. Future tests will further examine the relationship between SPE and neurosteroids so we can improve our understanding of them. Read the entire study here